Business People

April 02, 2006

MISHAWAKA -- Jon Housand has been elected to the board of directors of MFB Corp. and MFB Financial. Housand, who has nearly 30 years experience in banking, retired as president of Ameritrust National Bank, now Key Bank, in Elkhart. Housand was also senior vice president of the parent of Ameritrust, First Indiana Bancorp. Since retiring from the bank, Housand has served as president and general manager of WNIT, Channel 34, and as program officer of the Elkhart County Community Foundation. SOUTH BEND -- Allied Physicians of Michiana has announced that Thomas G. Akre, D.O., of the Institute for Orthopedic and Nerve Surgery, has become a member of Allied Physicians. Dr. Akre, a general orthopedic surgeon who performs joint replacement arthroscopy and peripheral nerve decompression, opened the Institute for Orthopedic and Nerve Surgery on Sept. 1, 2004, at Edison Lakes, Mishawaka. He received his doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Des Moines (Iowa) University. He completed his residency at Ingham Regional Medical Center in Lansing. He has privileges at Memorial Hospital of South Bend and Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in South Bend and Mishawaka. Allied Physicians of Michiana is a management service organization established in 1998 by 55 physicians from eight specialty practices. The organization provides centralized operational, managerial, administrative and other business functions which allows physicians to maintain autonomy to manage their specialty practices. Currently there are 65 members encompassing nine specialty practices. SYRACUSE -- U4 has announced that they have hired Rich Hays as their director of marketing. In that position, Hays will be accessible to all customers as he handles the public relations, marketing and product development for U4. Hays was formerly director of development for KC Online.com, Warsaw, for eight years. He has experience in advertising, public relations, and product implementation. GOSHEN -- Jennifer L. Hayes, MBA, has been named vice president of marketing and development for Greencroft Retirement Communities Inc. Hayes began her career in health care as director of marketing for Holy Cross Care Services Inc., a division of Holy Cross Health System, South Bend. After five years, she joined Goshen Health System as marketing manager and, for nearly eight years, she contributed to the growth and expansion, most notably in the promotion and marketing of their regional cancer center and women's health center. Hayes brings experience in branding, strategic planning, marketing, public relations and advertising. She also oversees fund development for the Greencroft Foundation. She holds both a bachelor's and master's degree in business administration. MISHAWAKA -- Joseph C. Nash has been appointed to serve on the board of directors of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools. Nash, president of Vogue School of Beauty Culture Inc., with locations in Elkhart, Huntington, Michigan City and Mishawaka, has been an active member since joining in 2002. He has served on the group's government relations committee. SOUTH BEND -- Crowe Chizek and Co. LLC has announced the appointment of Robin R. Truex to the office operations management team in its South Bend office. As office operations manager, Truex is responsible for managing overall office functions and the office operations services staff, including coaching, training, performance management, and staffing. SOUTH BEND -- Kaser-Spraker Construction Inc., a general contractor/design builder, has announced the addition of Steve Slabaugh to their organization. Slabaugh will be responsible for business development for the 23-year-old company, bringing over 20 years of sales and marketing experience in manufacturing, construction and business-to-business sales. BUCHANAN -- Deanna M. Swem has joined Swem Funeral Home as director of family services. She will be serving those seeking advance funeral planning, guiding families at a time of need, and directing the after-care program. She is ready to assist the families who seek a personalized service, including such elements as customized service folders and register books, video tributes, photos and mementos from home, and personally selected music. Deanna Swem is the third generation of the Swem family to join in the operation of the funeral home which will celebrate its 75th aniversary in 2007. Lowell Swem founded the funeral home in 1932, followed by his son Richard Swem since 1955. SOUTH BEND -- Jo Ellen McCoy has joined Cassady Neeser & Brasseur as business development director. McCoy will facilitate the strategic development of prospective client relationships and also manage external communications and marketing. McCoy, a graduate of Indiana University, most recently served as trust department communications director at 1st Source Bank. Business Briefs are for executive-level appointments and significant announcements. We do not use in-house awards. We can use color or black and white photographs of good quality. Because of the volume of material we receive, we cannot return photos. All photos, whether used or not, are kept in The Tribune's library for possible future use. Send Business Briefs to the Business News Editor, South Bend Tribune, 225 W. Colfax Ave., South Bend, IN 46626; FAX: 236-1765. Please include the name and telephone number of a contact person.